Next To Me
by ChouMatsumoto
Summary: Tony got down on his knees beside her and turned her over. Feeling the touch, the girl started to stir, opening her eyes into a squint, she said one word before she blacked out. "Dad?" - Mostly MovieVerse, Post-Avengers, Mild Pepperony
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is mostly movie verse and I will be putting things in that I read on wikipedia so you shouldn't be too lost if you've only seen the movies and if you've read the comics, please don't kill me. Just tell me how to get back on track if anybody is totally out of character. This is my first fanfiction so be gentle. Rated T for language.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC.**

* * *

"What do you want me to do?" Pepper asked with annoyance in her voice. She was at her wits end with him.

"You know, do what you normally do."

"And what exactly is that?"

"Make everything...better." Tony replied casually in a cocky tone as he was shifting through S.H.I.E.L.D. files.

"God, you are such an asshole" Pepper muttered under her breath.

"All the more reason to love me." He replied. "They have some very interesting research expirements. Did you know they my father took a look at time travel? Of course he didn't succeed..."

"Yes thats all very well and good but the company has me streached so thin...I can't even..." She was having a hard time putting her words together. "First I have to finish the Harvard Conract and then..." She started going off franticly, waving her hands wildly in the air.

"Calm down Pepper," he said getting up from his seat, walking over to her and and grasping her wrists in his hands. "I need you to breathe. Come on, do it with me." He took a deep breath in and out to show his point. He paused before he continued. "It's just a company."

"Just a company?" Pepper nearly yelled. "Tony, this the company that your father built and passed on to you! Don't you, you know, want to at least make sure it survives?"

"And that is why I made you CEO." he said letting go of her hand and patting her cheek.

She let out a sound of exasperation and stormed out of his lab. Just as the door clicked closed, "Sir, there is an incoming call from Director Fury. He says he wants to speak with you."

"Tell him I'm out golfing" Stark replied to his house hold friend.

"Director Fury told me to tell you that he knows your home and that it's urgent" JARVIS said a moment later.

"Fine, put him on." Tony said, giving in.

* * *

Tony walked into the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters in New York two hours later. He smiled and said 'Hello' to the secretary as he walked into Fury's office.

"I found something that you might be interested in." Were the first words out of Director Fury's Mouth when Tony Stark walked in.

"First off, Hello to you too. And what makes you so sure that I'll be interested in what ever you have found?"

"Because it was one of your father's projects." Fury answered. He then led Tony into a room with a high ceiling. There was a large device in the center. It looked like something out of a 60's Sci-fi movie with the two columns on the side and an old time computer and screen in the middle.

"And what exactly is it?" Tony asked.

"Well I was hoping you could tell me."

Stark went over to the device and tinkered around with it for a couple minutes until he finally found out how to turn it on. The machine started with some sparks being let free from the age of it. The screen flicked to life with an interface that was was older than Tony. It was then that he recognized the apparatus.

"This is my father's failed attempt at a time machine." He said to no one in particular.

"That would be correct. Your father only got half way done before other things got in the way that were much too important for him to ignore."

"Oh really? Like what?"

"Like his wife going into labor and becoming a father. At least that's what the report said."

"Oh." Tony paused for a second and continued. "And what do you want me to do with it?"

"I want you to fix it" Fury said seriously looking Tony in the eyes seriously.

"What? Why?"

"Because we need you to..."

Right then the machine started to shake violently, making lots of noise. Bolts of lightning started to go between the two pillars making the ground shake.

"What the hell is happening?" Tony shouted at Fury, trying to be heard over the noise. "I thought it didn't work!"

"I don't know. The file said it was unfinished." Fury yelled back.

"Well it was wrong."

The machine rattled more and more violently as the lightning strikes started gathering at the base of the it. A few seconds of crashes and bangs later, a figure started to appear at the base. As the devices started to die down, the figure got more and more pronounced to reveal a girl. Finally the machine turned itself off. She was on the floor lying face down. Tony and Fury approached her cautiously, but she did not move. When they got closer they saw her clearly. She was wearing a simple white tank top with jean shorts, both were ripped in places and covered with dirt. Her skin was covered in bruises and cuts. Her hair was caked in mud and styled with knots.

"Do you think she is okay?" Tony asked while still looking at her while Fury called for a medic. He got down on his knees beside her and turned her over. Feeling the touch, the girl started to stir, opening her eyes into a squint, she said one word before she blacked out.

"Dad?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, I cannot believe I have so many readers all ready! I am truly grateful. I have to admit, I do like the attention. Got a little Pepperony moment in this chapter for you today. Though you guys might like that.**

**I had a hard time with this chapter. In the movies you only see Tony Stark in one or two serious drama moments, so it's hard to get a handle on his character for most of the scenes in this chapter. I've also noticed that Tony Stark's character in my fanfics takes on what ever Robert Downy Jr. movie character I happen to be watching at the time. In this case it's the movie "Chaplin" from 1992. So toward the end he might seem a tad British. I'm sorry about that. I should probably watch the Iron Man movies while writing this though... I cannot tell you how many times I have seen them through. As OOC is a problem I'm bound to have, please tell me if you think a character is completely out of wack or would act different in the given situation in the comments section. I would really appreciate it.**

**Also, I am looking for a beta reader. I need someone to look out for grammar and spelling mistakes obviously, but mostly to help me keep everyone in character. I will be introducing, mostly Tony and Pepper, to situations that you don't quite see in the movies. So it would be nice to have a second pair of eyes in the story. PM me if you are interested.**

**Sorry for the long A/N. But I know I always like getting inside an author's head, so hopefully I provided you a bit with that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC.**

* * *

Tony continued to tinker with the the machine as they took the mysterious girl away. He was trying to figure out why how and where she had come from in the first place. The file had said it was unfinished, and from what he could tell, it was. He was looking at the control panel underneath the screen. The left side of it was full of wires and computer chips. The right, completely empty. Then it came to him, but just to be sure his theory was correct, he continued to take a look around in the machine. As he continued tinkering with it, Director Fury came back in after making sure the girl was in good hands at the infirmary.

"Was the report lying Stark?" He asked. "Was it actually finished?"

"No, the file was right. It was unfinished, and it still is. Although it's certainly fried now. I don't think we'll ever get this to work again. Or at least not the way it was supposed to." Tony replied.

"But then how did it turn itself on if its unfinished?" Fury pressed.

"Just because it was unfinished doesn't mean it didn't work." Tony answered as he turned around to face Fury. "Think of it like a phone with the ear piece but not the microphone."

"So in other words, it can receive but it just can't send." Tony nodded, he couldn't hear what Fury was saying anymore. What had happened only about an hour ago was still very much on Tony's mind. Fury knew that Stark wasn't listening any but but continued anyway. "So that means we can't send her back."

"Is she really my daughter?" Tony quickly cut off.

"That has yet to be confirmed Stark. But we are running the DNA tests at the moment." He answered.

"What about the mother? Do you have any idea who she is?"

"That is impossible to determine without DNA to run hers up against."

Tony stayed quiet, a million questions running through his head. Fury was still standing behind him waiting for a reaction from Tony.

"Do you mind if I go see her?" Tony finally asked.

"No, but you won't get any answers from her any time soon. It seems she was in really bad shape when she arrived. So in the mean time the doctors put her on some meds." With that Tony walked out of the room, leaving a very broken piece of equipment behind.

* * *

Tony walked into the infirmary and saw the girl on the third bed on the right from the door. He approached her slowly with his footsteps echoing against the concrete walls. She looked better then she had before. She still had the bruises and cuts, the cut next to her left ear had to be stiched Tony saw. She was out of her dirty clothes and into the clean hospital scrubs. She looked to be around twenty years old, give or take a few years. Her hair had also been washed and brushed. It was the first time Tony had seen her actual hair color.

Red.

_Red hair. Like Pepper._ Was the thing that flashed through Tony Stark's mind when he finally got a good look at the girl.

The girl was still fast asleep when the doctor came over to inform him about the girl's injuries. A minor concussion, internal bleeding, two broken ribs and of course the stiches. None of it life threatning.

Tony contined to just stand by her bedside, hands in his pockets, listening to the sound of the heart monitor, which was entirely too loud for his tastes. His eyes followed the oxygen tube that allowed the life gas to flow right into her nostrils.

He was just looking at her and trying to answer all the questions running through his head. Fury came up beside him a few minutes later. He stayed silent, leaving Tony to his thoughts. A few moments later, Tony finally spoke.

"The more I look at her the more I see Pepper. I dont see any Stark in her at all." He paused for a moment, trying to figure if there was anything from his gene pool. "Nope, all I see is Potts."

"Listen," Fury started. "Why dont you go home for the night. I'll call you as soon as the tests are out." He paused, wondering whether or not to ask the question on both his mind and Tony's. "Are you going to tell Ms. Potts?"

Tony sighed and turned around on his heels to face him. "Dont know." Tony breathed out without much strength in his voice. He seriously thought he should, but she was already so stressed beacause of work, he didnt know how she would take it if she found out if there was a second Stark was wandering around the city. He would of course be yelled at for not telling her first thing, but he honestly thought it was the best route.

Before he left, Tony turned around and and Fury in a dead panned voice. "How is it that you always appear, everywhere?"

Fury shrugged and stepped out of the way so Tony could exit the room.

* * *

Three hours later Tony was finally home. He certainly wasn't in any hurry to return after the day he had. So he took his time making sure to get lost in the city for a while. When he eventually arrived he knew he needed something to take his mind off things. Starting another upgrade on the suit seemed like a good idea, and it was actually somewhat productive.

About an hour went by before he decided to screw it. There was simply to much on his mind for him to focus properly. Too many questions. What if the girl was he and Pepper's daughter? What if she was Pepper's daughter and not his and simply mistook him as somebody else? She could have easily been delarious as she was so close to unconsciousness when she said it. The doctor did say she had a concussion. He groaned as he leaned back in his chair running his hands through his hair and making it even more messy than it was before.

"What's got you so riled up?"

Tony nearly jumped out of his seat at Pepper's voice. "Geezus Pepper, make more noise when you enter a room will you?"

"Well I'm sorry Mister Stark but I thought you did not want any unnecessary noise."

Tony got up from his seat and walked over to her and slowly bumped his forehead against hers. "Well I would say that would be necessary noise wouldn't you?"

"I suppose so." Pepper smiled, kissed him lightly and took a step back. "But seriously what's on your mind?"

Tony started to walk back to his desk chair. "It's nothing."

"No it's not nothing. Tell me what's wrong."

Tony turned around to face her. "Honey, I told you it's nothing."

"Was it something Fury said or wanted you to do?"

"You'll find out eventually Pepper but now just isn't the best time."

"And why isn't now the best time?" Pepper argued.

"Do you trust me?" Tony asked, looking Pepper in the eyes.

"Yes of of course I do. You know I do." Pepper trailed off.

"Then trust me when I tell you it's better if you don't know. Not yet any way."

"Fine." Pepper finished. "I'm going to go to sleep. You've seemed to have had a long day, want to join me?"

"Maybe in a minute. Although I wouldn't mind some Advil if you don't mind getting some for me." Tony responded, smirking at her.

"I'll see you in the morning then. Good night Mister Stark." Pepper said as she walked out of the room.

"Good night Miss Potts."

Tony sat back down at his desk but before he could even begin trying to sort out his thoughts, JARVIS spoke up.

"Sir, its Directory Fury on the line again. He says he has the DNA test results."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: You, my readers, amaze me! I have received so much love for this fic. I thank all of you soo much! But please, if you have any suggestions, any at all, please feel free to leave a comment.**

**I had an easier time writing the characters for this chapter. Maybe I just need practice or the fact that I have watched the Iron Man movies like 12 each or I read the "Invincible Iron Man" comics. They are amazing by the way.**

**I also want to thank my beta readers "Le Great Person XD" and "Stark Obsessed". Especially the ladder. They both did a great job and I hope it reads very smoothly for you!**

**I also want to say sorry, this chapter doesn't get too far in terms of the story line. And I'm sorry about that, but I think it's important to the story and setting up the relationship that Tony and Pepper have.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC.**

* * *

"JARVIS, switch over to the video conference." Tony said quickly. Fury's face appeared on the main monitor half a second later.

"Can you hear me Stark?" Fury asked.

"No, I can't hear you" Tony said with a straight face.

Fury just looked at him, not amused. "Do you want to know the test results or not?"

Tony opened his mouth to say yes, but he hesitated and closed it. Did he really want to know? If he didn't know, he wouldn't have to take on the responsibility. But before he could make up his mind, Fury decided for him.

"She's your daughter Stark."

Tony's mind was somehow wiped blank and full of questions all at the same time. "Oh my god." Tony manged to get out in the breath that he realized he had been holding. He rested his elbows on the desk and covered his face with his hands. Trying to decide what to do next.

"I also talked to the doctors after you left," Fury continued. "They said that she's recovered enough to take her off the pain medications. She'll most likely be awake sometime tomorrow afternoon."

"I want to be the first one to talk to her." Tony remarked, pulling his head up to look at the screen.

"Understandable. You'll be notified as soon as she shows signs of waking up. Get some sleep. You look like you need some." With that, Fury signed off.

How was it that in the span of less than twelve hours, he had acquired a daughter? A few minutes went by and he had just about had enough. He had a splitting headache and was very tired, so he decided to call it quits for the night. He would have to wrack his brain over all the things he would have to do tomorrow. Question the girl, go over his dad's research for the instrument that brought her here in the first place, talk to Pepper...

"Shit." He still had to tell Pepper about all of this. "JARVIS, what's Pepper's schedule for tomorrow?"

"Miss Potts has a meeting at eight AM and another one at noon."

"Alrighty, shut the lights off here, I'm done for the night."

"Goodnight, sir."

Tony retreated to the bedroom and got changed for bed. As he was pulling back the sheets on his side, he heard Pepper stirring on the other side of the bed.

"I honestly thought I wouldn't see you until tomorrow." She said sleepily as she turned turned to face him.

"Oh, and why would you think that?" He asked as he slid between the sheets.

"I know how you are when you get to working in the shop."

"Fair enough." Tony turned to rest on his side facing Pepper. "You should get some sleep. You've got a long day tomorrow."

"Hmmhmm. I forgive you for waking me up by the way." Pepper said as she moved closer and snuggled into Tony's chest.

"It's not my fault you are a light sleeper." He said, barely above a whisper. But she was already back asleep. Tony kissed her on the top of her head and followed suit soon after.

* * *

When Tony woke up the next morning, Pepper had already gone into work. He groaned as he got out of bed and walked across the room. His bare feet slapped against the cold, hard floor as he headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge door, grabbed the milk jug, raised it to his lips and took in a few gulps. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, put the milk back in the refrigerator and then headed back upstairs to get dressed for the day.

About an hour later he was outside Pepper's office, about to knock on the door, when her secretary spoke up from behind him.

"She hasn't come back from her meeting, Mr. Stark," she said to him as he turned around. "But you are certainly welcome to wait over there." She indicated to a set of chairs that were on the other side of the hall.

"Thanks." Tony responded with a hint of impatience in his voice. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"I'm right here Tony."

Tony spun around to see Pepper glaring at him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked harshly.

"I wanted to take you out to brunch."

"Brunch? I'm not sure if you noticed, but I do tend to be quite busy on weekdays. And since when are you a fan of brunch?"

"Since now." he replied. "Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, you look like you need a break."

"I don't need a break right now. It's only ten-thirty in the morning Tony." She said, heading over to enter her office.

"You always need a break Pepper. Anyway, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Pepper turned around and looked at him. His gaze told her that it was something fairly serious. "Fine, you have one hour and then I have to get back. I have a meeting at noon, you know."

They went to a nice restaurant near by. When the waiter came to take their orders, Tony ordered omeletts for both of them. The food came about fifteen minutes later. Pepper paused for a moment before asking her question. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Tony took a big bite of his food. "Have you tasted this? It's delicious." He chewed, swallowed and put another piece in his mouth.

"Tony, you dragged me out of work for this. You better start talking."

Tony swallowed and put down his fork on his plate. "I did sort of lie about something."

Pepper was starting to get frustrated with him. "Oh really? And what did you lie about exactly?"

"I don't exactly have something to tell you. I have something to show you."

"I'm not sure if you know this, but I have a meeting at noon and noon is in..." She looked at her watch. "Twenty-seven minutes, so unless it's in your pocket, I'm going to go attend the meeting."

"You aren't going." Tony said simply.

"Excuse me?" Pepper challenged.

"You aren't going to be going to the meeting. I called earlier saying you had to be somewhere." Tony said. He got up from the booth they were sitting at and offering hand to her and looking her in the eyes.

"Fine." She conceded, taking his hand. He helped her out of the booth and then proceeded to throw a one-hundred dollar bill on the table and then walked out onto the streets of New York. "So where exactly are we going?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters." Tony answered.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed. It really does help me to work harder and review faster. It really does!**

**OH MY GOSH. This is by far the hardest chapter I have had to write. It was just hard to find words for everything. Also, I'm not sure if I carry on Tony's shock and confusion too long. I myself as an author am still trying to figure it out, so I'm basing it off my confusion if I was in the situation. I hope he isn't to out of character here. Another point I'm trying to make is that I want Pepper to be his voice of reason if you will. And the fact that she is the voice of reason for him will certainly come into play when the girl wakes up.**

**And I would also like to thank my beta reader "Stark Obsessed" for the beta read despite being on vacation!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC.**

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Pepper asked for a third time.

"Stop asking. I already told you, you'll find out." Tony answered.

Pepper sighed as Tony led her by the hand past the guards at S.H.I.E.L.D. and into the maze of hallways that was their headquarters. Eventually, they arrived at the room with the device.

"What is that?" Pepper asked him, gesturing to the old, burnt-out machine.

"That is my dad's time machine. I mentioned it to you yesterday."

"What? You mean it's real?" Pepper sounded surprised.

"Of course it's real."

Pepper had a look of confusion on her face. "Why are you showing this to me Tony?"

"I'm getting to that." He continued. "I'm showing this to you because it works, or rather it worked."

"What do you mean it works? You said it was a failure yesterday."

"It was only half finished, but that's not the point. The point is, is that it worked yesterday. Someone came through the portal, if you can call it that."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Pepper asked, wondering where he was going with this.

"She looks almost exactly like you Pepper." Tony said.

Pepper just stood there with a confused look on her face. "What exactly are you trying to say Tony?"

"I'm not sure, but I think she might be your daughter."

Pepper was stunned. She was just staring at him, but when she noticed that Tony's bad poker face was very much present in his facial expression, she went on to ask, "What else aren't you telling me, Tony?"

Tony stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say that wouldn't freak her out too much...

"TONY! Just spit it out."

"She's my daughter, too."

"Excuse me?" Pepper started to pace, then it hit her. "Oh my god. So you are saying that our daughter, from the future, is walking around this place."

"Well, it hasn't exactly been confirmed that you are her mother, which is why I brought you here." Tony cut in trying to get her to slow down. "And she's not walking quite yet. She was in pretty bad shape when she arrived, so she is still very much out of it as far as I know."

Pepper wasn't really listening to him. "Oh my god. We have a daughter, Tony." Pepper was just about to run off on a rant, but then she stopped. This might not be a huge problem. "How old is she?"

"She looks to be around twenty."

Nope, it was a problem. "And she's a teenager. Great." Sarcasm was very heavy in her voice. "I already have to take of one teenager and now two?"

* * *

Tony and Pepper walked through the halls to the infirmary. Tony was just about to open the door when the doctor came out.

"Oh Mr. Stark, It's nice to see you." Tony took a step back to allow the doctor into the hallway. "She isn't conscious yet, although she is showing signs of waking up soon."

"What do you mean?" Pepper asked.

"She's twitching her fingers, her heart rate is speeding up, and her EKG is more active as well. There is a small chance that she might actually be able to hear you."

Tony tapped the middle of his chest, thinking before turning to Pepper. "I want you to take a DNA test Pepper. Before she wakes up."

"You already said that I'm her mother. Why would I need to take a test?"

Tony grabbed hold of her arms and bent down so they were at the same eye level. "It's not confirmed per say that you are her mother. It's just a theory because she looks like you. I just need to know for sure."

"Okay." Pepper said as she nodded her head. Tony kissed her on the cheek and the doctor led her to the medical lab that was further down the hall. Tony proceeded to take a seat on the bench that was across from the infirmary doors.

The doors that held his daughter on the other side of them.

Tony continued to glare at them when he heard foot steps down the hall. He looked toward the direction they were coming from and saw Director Fury, eye on Tony. When he got closer, he began to speak.

"Why don't you go in? The doctors did say she could hear you. Didn't they?"

Tony looked at at him like he had missed something completely obvious. "And what exactly would I say Fury? If you have any ideas, please share them with the class."

Fury flicked his long coat out beside him and sat down next to Tony on the bench. "You might come up with something while you're in there." he offered.

"I don't want to go in there without Pepper." Tony said simply.

"Fair enough." Fury said standing up. "Just remember the she has father too, not just a mother." He said as he walked away.

Tony just glared at his back until Fury went wround the corner. He then leaned his head against the wall and decided to rest his eyes a little. He didn't really sleep well last night.

* * *

"TONY!"

Tony eyes flew open. Pepper was standing right in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"How long was I out?" Tony asked.

"A few hours." She said, sitting down next to him.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"You looked like you need the sleep."

"That obvious?" He turned his face to look at her. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay, though I don't think anything has really hit yet."

"With how loud you were being I would say you knew what you were dealing with." Tony said. Pepper just glared at him. "What about the DNA test results, have they come out yet?"

"No, but they should be out soon." Pepper responded.

"Hopefully it'll be out before she wakes up."

"No kidding."

They both sat on the bench, thankful for the peaceful moment, but it didn't last very long. It all started in the infirmary. There was a loud scream, followed by the sound of people rushing frantically to help. Pepper and Tony were on their feet, ready to open the doors in front of them, but then down the hall, the doctor appeared.

"It would be better if you did not go in. We do not need anymore people than there already is in there." He said from down the hall. The doctor looked like he was about to burst into a run.

"What the hell is happening in there?" Tony asked, facing the doctor.

"I don't know, but if you move out of the way, I would gladly go in and find out." The doctor said angrily.

Tony stepped aside and the doctor flew into the infirmary. It took a few minutes for everything beyond the doors to settle down. But once the screaming stopped, the doctor came out.

"What happened?" Was the first thing out of Pepper's mouth.

"I'll get to that but first I think you might want to know the test results. That's why I was headed this way in the first place." Pepper and Tony waited on bated breath, so the doctor turned to Pepper and continued. "You are in fact the mother Miss Potts."

Tony let out a sigh of relief that earned him a look from Pepper. He responded with a look of 'What?' and then the doctor continued.

"Also, you can go and see her. She's awake."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Man, I would just like to thank all my readers. You give me such fine support. After this chapter, in terms of the plot and the oc, I don't have a whole lot planned, so if you have any ideas of which way you would like to see the story go, Please Comment!**

**I have to admit, this was the chapter I was most nervous about because it introduces the OC. And I can tell you she changed so many times. At first I was going to have her a little bit more upbeat and groomed for being the successor of Stark Industries, but I decided to take a darker turn. I thought it would add more to the plot and make it much more interesting.**

**Shout-out to my beta-reader, "Stark Obsessed." She does a great job. And for all of those who eagerly await the next chapter, I will be posting updates on my twitter. Link can be found in my profile.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC. **

* * *

Tony opened the door with Pepper hot on his heels as they both slowly walked inside. The girl was in the same bed that she had been before. She was looking at the back of the room and refused to acknowledge that they had come in.

"Listen, I'm going going to be honest. I'm not exactly sure what to say here." Tony started off saying.

"Then don't say anything." She said curtly, still refusing to look at them.

Pepper was taken aback by the girl's rudeness, but did her best to press on in the conversation. "I'm not sure if you know this or not because, quite frankly, it's recent news to us too." Pepper said, smiling nervously. "But he's your father." She decided to start small, one thing at a time.

"No you aren't." she said flatly, finally looking at their faces.

Tony's eyes widened and Pepper's jaw nearly dropped. Although the girl looked like Potts from head to toe, her eyes were certainly Stark. Big pools of deep brown eyes stared back at them with an attitude and fierceness that could only belong to Tony. Pepper looked at Tony's expression and saw that he was no where near coming around, so she decided to continue the conversation.

"What do you mean?" Pepper asked. Her voice sounded quite awkward, especially considering the previous silence.

The girl was still looking at them with a cold, hard gaze. Finally, she spoke. "My dad is grey and doesn't really look at me, let alone talk to me. And please, do tell why you look like a younger version of him."

That snapped Tony out of his trance, but he didn't really hear what she had said. He really only had only one question on his mind. "What about your mother?"

"She's dead, don't really remember her."

"She's dead? What do you mean she's dead?" Tony pressed.

"She's dead. Didn't really know her. What do you want me to say?" She snapped.

Tony paused. Pepper was dead and left him to raise this girl on his own? She would never do that to him.

"What's your name?" Pepper said, interrupting his thoughts.

The girl looked at her for a moment and decided to answer. "Kathrine. Kathrine Stark. Now will somebody please tell me why I'm here?"

"We were hoping you could tell us." Pepper replied. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"What little I remember from before, I'm trying very hard to forget." Tony just stared at her. Where did all this attitude come from?

"Excuse us for a moment." Tony grabbed Pepper by the elbow and walked out of the room. Only when they were safely outside the infirmary doors did Tony let go of Pepper.

"What the hell was that about?" Pepper hissed.

"How can you just stand there after you just found out you died?" Tony shot back.

"Well," Pepper started, trying to find some words. "I'm trying not to dwell on it. The future isn't supposed to be known right? Not to mention her coming here could have changed all that."

Tony sighed and calmed down. He really didn't want to dwell on the fact that Pepper was dead. So he decided to change the subject. "She is...not at all what I expected."

"What did you expect Tony?" Pepper said with a soft tone.

"I don't know," Tony said, rubbing the back of his neck. "What do we do now Pepper?"

"I don't know." They stood there in silence for a few moments when Tony suddenly perked up, and rushed back inside. He stood once again at the end of the girl's bed. She just stared at him, wondering what he was going to do next.

"I want you to answer truthfully and honestly. I don't want any bull-shit." Kathrine just continued to stare at him. He took that as she would do as he said. "Why did you cause a ruckus a few minutes ago, when you just woke up?"

"Why do you care?" She asked.

"Why do I care?" He asked repeating her question. "Because I'm your father. It certainly seems like I should care doesn't it?"

"Technically, yes. That does mean you should, but that doesn't mean that you do." She looked away and tried to cross her arms, but the IV attached to the inside of her elbow made it difficult. She winced and settled for just interlocking her fingers over her midsection.

"Well I do care and you are just going to have to deal with that. So tell me, why did you scream?" He asked again as he put his hands in his pockets.

"I had a nightmare." She said barely above a whisper. She still refused to look at him.

"Anything else to add to the story?"

"No." There was a silent moment before Kathrine asked her own question. "How did I get here? I am assuming of course that I am somehow in the past or some kind of alternate reality."

Tony pulled up a chair that was next to her and sat on it backwards so that the back of the chair was facing is chest instead of his back. "Whether you are from the future or alternate reality, I cannot say which. For all I know it could be both. But as to the how, I was working on one of my father's old devices. I turned it on and nine seconds later, you popped out."

She gave him a look that reminded him so much of Pepper, he had to blink just to make sure it wasn't Pepper in front of him. "What's the date?" Katherine asked after a moment.

"It's August twelfth, twenty-twelve." Tony said simply. She nodded.

"It seems I really have gone back in time." She smiled a fake smile.

"Listen, I really hate to press this issue, but I need to know anything you know about your mother."

"You really are nothing like my father." She said as the smile dissipated quickly. "I know her first name was Pepper and I have been told I look like her. If you want more information, I'm afraid you are out of luck."

Tony sighed, wondering if he should tell her about the Pepper that he knew. His phone made a short beep and he pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Pepper saying she was called into the office on an emergency. He put the phone back in his pocket and tapped on the center of his chest.

"You don't even know what your mother looks like do you?"

"I already told you what I know."

"And you've never done any research on her?"

"When you google a name like 'Pepper', you get a whole slew of stuff. Especially considering it's also a table condiment."

"You remember the woman that was in here with me earlier, right?" He asked.

"The one with the red hair? Why?"

"She's your mother." Tony said carefully as he looked at Kathrine's face. Her eyebrows were raised on her forehead .

"Excuse me?"

"She's your mother." He could tell that her mind was reeling with questions and thoughts. She raised her hand to her head as if she had a headache.

"Get out." She said firmly. Tony just stared at her. That had not been the reaction he had been expecting.

"I still have a lot of questions for you and I'm sure you still have a lot of questions for me..."

"GET OUT!" She yelled. Tony stood up, but instead of heading for the door, he grabbed the pen and paper that was on her bedside table. He wrote something down, tore the top sheet off and set it on her lap.

"That's my cell phone. Call me if you need anything." With that he walked out of the room, leaving a very confused girl behind him.

* * *

Tony was a man on a mission as he headed into Pepper's office. He blew right past her secretary and into the office. Pepper was on the phone when he walked in.

"I'll have to call you back." Pepper said into the receiver. "Yes, thank you so much for your time. Good bye." She hung up the phone a moment later. She looked at Tony and sighed. "What else did you find out Tony?"

"She had no idea you are her mother." He said simply, deciding to get right to the point. "So I told her and she kicked me out."

Pepper just put her head in hands and looked up at Tony. "You told her? What on earth were you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"You tell a girl, a girl who knows close to nothing about her mother, that the woman she just met is her long lost parent? What part of you would honestly think that was a good idea?" Pepper finished chastising him and looked up at his face.

"You know I don't have a common sense like that." Was all Tony could muster up.

Pepper just looked at Tony's face, which was fairly downcast and decided to move on. "What are we going to do with her? Once she's recovered, she can't stay at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You've already thought that far ahead? Nothing on the fact that you and I have a daughter?" He looked at her and her face was not amused.

"Haven't really had time to dwell on it Tony, considering I just found out a few hours ago. But wait, you could have told me last night when I asked what was on your mind." Pepper shot back and then turned to the paper work that was on her desk.

"I still think it was better I didn't tell you until I knew for sure." Tony muttered under his breath. Pepper glanced and glared at him."But you're right. I've thought a little bit about it, and I think she should come live with us."

"Wow, look at that. Tony Stark is thinking ahead for once."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am so sorry for the late chapter. It was mostly due to writers block XD. Just to let you know, the chapter at the moment is not beta read. My beta is currently dealing with some irl issues and I didn't want to push her so I decided to go ahead and upload then fix the errors as the occur to me or once she gets back.**

**I added another cannon character! Whooo! It's okay to be excited. I'm thinking about putting a little somthin' somthin' between the OC and the cannon if you know what I mean. Of course it would not be the main point of the story. The point of view will still stick with Tony. If it's something you would like to see, please leave your votes in the comments. And if you don't care either way, please leave a comment about the chapter or the story in general. I like to know how I'm doing!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC.**

* * *

Tony had another night that was full of restless sleep. He decided to call it quits after a few hours of tossing and turning. He looked at Pepper still sleeping beside as he got out of bed, got dressed and headed to the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters where Kathrine was still being kept under medical supervision. Even though she was awake, they still wanted to keep her under supervision for the head trauma and to make sure there wasnt any internal bleeding that the doctors had missed. What happened to her to land her in such bad condition? The thought had never occured to Tony before. It just added to the list of questions that had to be answered.

He strode into the infirmary before day break and pulled up the chair that he had sat in the previous day. Kathrine was still very much asleep. He decided to pull out his phone and send some emails to his connections that Pepper had wanted him to get involved in the contract that she was working on. After a while of fighting off sleep as he tried to get some work done, Kathrine started to stir. He put his phone back in his pocket and braced himself for the rain of fire that was sure to come. They didn't exactly leave on good terms.

But she didn't come to consciousness. As Tony observed, she seemed to be dreaming, or rather a nightmare. She started to breathe quite heavily, the heart rate beep grew faster, and her skin broke into a cold sweat. Tony reached out a hand to wake her up. But before he could touch her, she shot up with a shriek.

Now wide awake, Kathrine's breathing started to slow to a normal pace. Her eyes passed right over Tony as she looked around the room as if to affirm where she was. Confirming that the coast was clear, she closed her eyes and fell against the pillows once again.

"What was the about?" Tony asked simply, hoping he might get an answer this time.

"Still not telling you."

"Might make you feel better to talk through it." Tony pressed.

"Nope, but vodka might." She added off handedly, the sharp tone in her voice gone.

Tony just stared at her like she had grown an extra head. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-three. Why?"

"No reason. I just thought you were younger." Tony paused for a moment before continuing. "This is something I'm not really used to doing, but I apologize for the way I told you about Pepper. It was inconsiderate."

Kathrine just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I suppose it's alright, just as long I will not have to meet her again."

"She's you mother, why would'nt you want to see her?"

"When you live with the knowledge that you won't ever meet someone, you get used to that fact. Changing it otherwise would just make things complicated. It just simpler for both her and me. It's odd enough to see my father and the way he used to be, and believe me, you change a lot. But meeting my mother once was enough."

Tony looked at her and asked, "You don't have a very good relationship you dad, err, me, do you?"

"To say the least. You were always quite distant."

"Ah." Tony said in acknowledgment. "Well, it's going to be very hard for you not to see Pepper for a second time considering that you will be moving in with us after you get out of this dumpster."

"That was the right choice of words." Kathrine smirked and it faded off her face almost instantly. "You aren't really giving me a choice, are you?"

"Unless you want to walk the streets of New York with no documentation, then no, you really don't have a choice." Kathrine raised her eyebrows. "Oh, well, you are going to need a driver's license and what not. I have a few contacts that will get it all for me fairly quickly. That's my job for today."

"Should I be worried that you have the means to get those things?"

"Probably. So don't tell Pepper."

Kathrine smiled a true smile. It was very awkward on her features however, like a smiled hadn't been there in a very long time.

"Tell me again how you plan to get her documentation?"

Tony and Kathrine both looked up in unison at Director Fury. Tony stared blankly then answered him. "From you?"

"That would be the correct answer." He turned so that his good eyes was on Kathrine. "I'm glad you are feeling better, but I would like debrief you on how you got here. I am sure it's a question on everybody's mind."

She looked back at the one-eyed man with a challenging gaze. "What makes you think I'm going to tell you?"

"Yeah, she wouldn't even tell me." Tony interjected, but Fury just ignored him.

"If you don't want to tell the story right now thats fine, but we will need to hear it before you leave."

Kathrine nodded her head and Tony just looked at her.

"So you just don't want to tell me?" He asked.

"Escpecially you." She said curtly.

"That's harsh." Tony said, sounding a little offended.

* * *

The minutes flew by as Fury and Tony talked about the details of Kathrine merging into society. She had long tuned them out and was on the verge of falling asleep when she heard a new voice enter the conversation.

"What's going here?"

All three heads looked up to see who was in the doorway. Steve Rogers was looking into the room. A bag was in his hand, Tony assumed it contained work out equipment, but whether he was going to or from the work out, it was hard to tell. Tony didn't know if a super soldier was capable of sweating.

"We're talking about how to get my daughter a birth certificate." Tony said with a dead panned expression.

"No, seriously, what are you doing?" Rogers asked again as he stepped into the room.

"Talking about how to get my daughter a birth certificate." Tony said again. "Captain, meet my new found daughter Kathrine."

Kathrine raised her hand to wave hello, but the man didn't even look at her, so she put her hand back down. "Why does she need a birth certificate?"

"Because she's from the future Rogers." Fury cut in. "As she didn't remember to grab hers, we have to create another one."

"Ah." With that, Steve Rogers backed out of the room and left.

"What was that about?" Kathrine asked

"No idea." Tony said, but Fury had a different answer.

"He's still trying to make his way into this time. Sort of what you will be doing I suppose. Only difference is that he's from the past and you are from the future."

She looked towards the door after him. "Am I really stuck here?"

Tony looked at her thoughtfully as he could see her reality hit home. "I'm going to try to get you back home, but that machine is a whole different ball game."

"Can't you get notes on it? Surely your dad had a report of some kind."

"Can't find them." Tony said simply.

"Excuse me? What do you mean you can't find them?"

"They were probably destroyed. It means I'll have to start from scratch. It will certainly be some years before it works, and that will be if I can get it working. Though I'm sure the chances of success would rise if you were to help." That was all the answer he could give for the moment as he really hadn't had a good chance to really look at it.

"I would just get in the way. I know for sure I did not get the Stark genius genes."

"Well that's certainly a shame." He smiled at the next thought. "Though Pepper will certainly enjoy that. I think she feels a little out of place sometimes."

Kathrine just looked away again at the mention of Pepper, but Tony jumped in quickly to interrupt her thoughts. "Think of her as a new friend. Thinking of her as mother might put too much pressure on you both, at least for now."

Fury looked at him with surprise. "When did you get so wise?"

Tony looked around and answered. "Hey, I have my moments. They are just few and far between."

Fury ignored him as he turned to Kathrine. "The doctors have instructed that you can be released tomorrow. But don't forget that you still need to be debriefed before you go."

She just nodded in response. All the humor that was in the room just a moment was completely wiped out.

"Will I get to find out what happened to you?" Tony asked with a hopeful hint in his voice.

"No."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Oh my God, I am so sorry about the wait for this chapter and even this is not even half a chapter! :cries: But you guys have been so good to me I had to reward you with a little something. I honestly just haven't had ANY inspiration lately. And I haven't talked to my beta in a while because I haven't had anything to beta so this isn't beta'ed either. So sorry for the mistakes.**

**Once again, I am So sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I've had a very hard time coming with ideas of where to take this story. I do have a few but I don't want to rush it. I'm thinking of maybe of putting a romance in between Chris Evans (Captain America) and Kathrine, but I don't want anything to be overly Mary Sue.**

**By the reivews, it sounded like you guys wanted some Pepper, I hope you enjoy. Once again, let me know if you sense anyone is out of character.**

**Leave in the comments of where you think this story should be headed and some scenes you would like to see. I might just role with your idea.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC.**

* * *

Tony went back home later that night to find a clearly upset Pepper. She was pacing back in forth in the living room, obviously deep in thought. Tony swore he saw a small trench starting to form underneath her feet.

"What happened at work?" Tony asked, though afraid of the answer.

"Everything was fine." Pepper replied curtly, still pacing.

"Kat's bothering you, isn't she?"

"Oh, it's 'Kat' now is it? God Tony, just forty-eight hours ago you didn't even have a legal family! And now you have an eighteen year old..."

"Twenty-three actually." Tony interjected.

"Twenty-three year old daughter and find out that we're married, which is just bizarre. Oh and that little fact that I die way before my time." Pepper was out of breath by the end of her rant but she was still glaring at Tony.

"Why is that so bizarre?" Tony asked after a few moments of letting her catch her breath.

"What?" Pepper asked, obviously taken aback by the question.

"Why is it so weird that we eventually get married and start a family? We are dating after all."

Pepper just stared at him with a blank expression. "Never mind." Pepper said after a few beats. "But don't find this all weird? From what I saw, she seems to almost resent you and she won't even look at me. How do you expect her to live here if she can't even stand either of us?"

"I'm working on that."

"And so whats the plan?"

"To make sure she likes us?"

"And how do you propose we do that before she moves in?"

"I never said before she moves in."

"Once again Tony, you set your target way to high..."

"And when have I ever missed?"

Pepper just gave him a pleading look then rolled her eyes. "When is she moving in?" Pepper finally asked as she walked over to the kitchen area to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yep. The doctors cleared her as long as she's taking it easy and check-ups weekly for a while." Tony explained further after seeing the expression on Pepper's face.

Pepper looked at him and sighed as she poured the wine into two glasses. One she filled almost all the way and gave the other one to Tony.

"I'm guessing she'll be using the guest room?" She asked after taking a few swallows of the wine.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow, I am so sorry for the lack of updates. I just feel like I'm writing a whole bunch of crap in terms of the story right now. But I don't want to push things too fast. But next chapter, I'll push some plot in there. I wanted to apologize for the short update as well, but it's longer than the last and only partially fluff. And I want to thank you all again for sticking with it. I know I'm not making it easy. Don't forget to leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or the characters. That belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel. I only own the OC.**

* * *

It was late the next morning and Tony was busy in the shop working with his cars. Pepper had stayed home that day to help prep for Kathrine's "homecoming." What needed to be prepped? Tony really didn't know. He was working on the underbelly of the hotrod when he heard a faint voice just making it's way through the blasting music.

"Pause." Tony said as he slid out to face a once again, annoyed Pepper. "What did I do now?"

"How are you down here playing with your toys when your daughter is going to be here any minute?"

"As opposed to what? Getting stressed and pacing upstairs?" Tony asked while he got to his feet. He wiped of his hands on a rag and proceeded to rub his hands along Pepper's upper arms, successfully calming her down. "You really need to work on this relaxing thing."

"I do, don't I?" pepper said, releasing a small, nervous smile.

"Mr. Stark, Director Fury is at the door."

"Thanks JARVIS." Tony said. He then turned to Pepper. "You Ready?"

"No." She said, almost instantaneously.

"Good. Let's go." He said with a smirk on his face as he led her upstairs. Fury and Kathrine were waiting in the center of the living room. Tony's attention was immediately drawn to the manila folder that Kathrine was currently holding. But before he could inquire about what it was, Pepper spoke up.

"Is that all you have? You don't have any bags?"

"No. I don't." Kathrine responded simply while looking out the window, clearly trying to avoid looking at either of them.

Pepper quickly turned to Tony and held out her hand at his shoulder level, palm facing upward. "Give me the Amex and the Visa." She demanded.

"What?"

"And the keys to the Audi." She continued.

"Why?"

"Well obviously she needs to go shopping for necessities."

"And that requires TWO credit cards?"

"When starting for scratch, yes it does." She said. As Tony made no move, she snapped her her fingers in a gesture to get him to hurry up.

Tony reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, retrieved the cards and handed them to Pepper. She took them with a smug "thank you" and went upstairs to retrieve her purse.

"Sounds like you're going shopping." Director Fury said turning to Kathrine.

"What if I don't want to?"

"You're going shopping." Tony and Fury both said at once.

"Fine, fine." She ssaid in a small voice.

Pepper's heels were heard on the stairs as she came into the room again. "Where are the keys?" she asked as she pulled her sunglasses out of her purse.

"The are where they always are. And take the four-seater, it sounds like you'll need the extra space." Tony answered before turning to Kathrine. "Can I see what's in the folder?" She handed over the document, Tony took it and flipped through the papers. As he was doing so, Pepper had already grabbed Kathrine's hand and dragged her to the garage. When he heard the door click, signaling that they were on their way to who knows where, Tony turned to Fury. "You got the papers together really fast."

"I figured the sooner she had documentation, the sooner she could start feeling at home."

Tony paused for a moment thinking. Finally he asked, "Did you get anything interesting out of the briefing?"

"Not anything I'm going to tell you. But you should let her come back to the base sometimes. She's made a couple friends there."

"Like who? Captain America?" He added jokingly, but at Fury's indifference, he continued. "She's made friends with Captain America? Are you kidding me? And here I thought she was supposed to be my daughter."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow. It has been SOO long since the last update and I am so sorry. I don't have any good excuses such as school or family or anything. It's just my own personal procrastination and distractions such as tumblr. Speaking of which if anybody wants to follow me on tumblr, my url is deatheaterinamerica. So anyway, thank you for sticking by and waiting for the new chapter. I do think the next one is going to come out much sooner because I actually have an idea of where I want the next one to go. So wish me luck!**

* * *

**One month later...**

Tony was walking through the maze of corridors in the S.H.E.I.L.D. base, only this time he had a companion. They were there for Kathrine's final check-up after the incident that brought her to this particular point in time.

"Would you take those sunglasses off?" Kathrine finally asked after a bout of silence.

"Why? They make me look cool."

"Because they make you look like a prick. Not to mention, we are indoors, a basement no less."

"Fine." Tony surrendered as he removed the glasses from his face and put them in his jacket inside pocket. "Is your head okay? I don't want any surprises at the end of this."

"For the last time, I feel fine." She said, quite exasperated at this point.

"But you don't feel 'great'?" Tony asked.

Kathrine just shot him a glare which he promptly ignored. Finally, they came to the door they were looking for. Tony opened the door for her and she walked in. Doctor Kendrick was there waiting for them with a scanner that very closely resembled an MRI.

"Please lay down on the bed Miss Stark and we will get started." The doctor said as he washed his hands.

Kat quickly corrected stating sharply, "It's Kathrine." Tony visibly flinched at her resistance to use his last name.

Tony turned to the doctor who was behind the safety glass and setting up the equipment for the appointment as Kathrine got dressed into the hospital gown. Tony's face got really close to the screens and right next to the doctor's face. "Look for anything that might be wrong, lately she's been having really bad headaches and has been taking Asprin like they were Tic-tacs."

"Please step back from the monitor Mr. Stark. I know you are good with computers, but I do need to do my job."

Tony looked at the man's face with searching expression for a moment and then retreated a few steps back and watched as Kathrine was lying down on the bed.

"Are you all ready Kathrine?" She gave a nod of her head. "Alrighty, just be sure to lay perfectly still and don't move."

Kathrine closed her eyes as the bed rolled back into the machine and the whirring became louder and louder. Tony kept his eyes fixed on the monitor to see if the brain scan revealed anything. As time ticked by and the brain scan was almost completed, Tony realized that he really should read up on the mechanics of the brain because he didn't really see anything. As the machine was shutting down and Kathrine was being taken out of the machine, Tony turned to the doctor once again. "So?"

Doctor Kendrick turned around and looked him right in the eye. "Well it's a little early to tell, I need to get the scans back to the lab and review it but..."

"But what?"

"But as far as I can tell, she's fine. She has a perfectly healthy brain."

Tony was starting to get impatient. This was not an answer to his question. "What about all the headaches?"

"If she's having constant headaches, they are probably psychological. I would suggest a therapist or psychologist of some kind. Good day Mister Stark."

Tony watched as the doctor walked out from the booth and quickly told Kathrine the good news and then left the room. Kathrine was dressed when Tony finally came out of the booth. But Kathrine cut in before Tony could even open his mouth.

"I'm going to go see Steve for a bit at the gym. Don't wait up." She made a move\ for the door but Tony caught her by the arm.

"Do you mean a Steve that you met at the mall when you went with Pepper or a...different Steve?" Tony asked cautiously.

"I mean Steve Rogers." Kathrine said curtly as she pulled her arm out of Tony's grip.

Tony sighed and looked at her. "I guess I'll see you tonight?"

She looked at him as she walked toward the door. "I just said don't wait up didn't I?"

"At least tell me where you'll be going after the gym." He pleaded.

Kathrine put on a small smile as she answered. "I really don't know." She said as she turned and headed out the door.

"Right of course you don't. Don't worry about me, you go have fun." Tony said to an empty room.

* * *

Tony once again decided to go bother Pepper at work. This time when he opened the doors to her office, he found her in the middle of a meeting with two people who seemed very important. Pepper continued with the conversation as if her partner hadn't just burst in on a very critical part of negotiations that would heavily reflect on what the stock of Stark Industries would be worth in the coming months. Tony stood to the side for a couple of minutes before he found himself becoming very bored. So he cleared his throat. None of the three other people in the room seemed to notice. So he cleared his throat again, this time much louder.

"What is it Mister Stark?" Pepper said through her teeth. She had a glare that could have killed Tony on the spot.

"We need to talk." Tony said walking over to her desk.

"Well can it wait, I am sort of in the middle of something." Pepper said curtly as she turned back to the two men. Tony nodded but didn't move from his spot.

Both of the men that were there looked very uncomfortable to have Tony Stark that close whilst trying to conduct business with the CEO. So as a result, they politely asked to be excused.

"I'm so sorry, we'll continue this tomorrow. Have a good afternoon." Pepper responded as her and the two gentlemen stood up and shook hands. She walked them out of the over-sized office. After she shut the doors, she turned around and reeled on Tony.

"Seriously Tony? You couldn't have just waited another couple hours? I was in the middle of some very important discussions."

"Of course I couldn't have. Not to mention I do love it when you get really frustrated." Tony said with a slight smirk on his face.

Pepper sighed trying to calm down. "What do you want?" She asked as she walked over and sat down at her desk.

"It's about Kathrine." Tony said simply as he sat down opposite of her.

"Oh that's right. The last appointment was today. What did the doctor say about the headaches?"

"He found absolutely nothing in the brain scans and that she should probably see a therapist or something." Tony said offhandedly.

Pepper looked at him incredulously. "What are the chances that we could get her to go to therapy?" Pepper asked.

"Zero."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Alright so sorry about the late update again, but I am getting better. This was purely procrastination. But I think I know where I want this fic to go and end with. I have so many scenes in my head it's just a matter of putting them in order and make the transitions smooth. Sorry for the lack of Pepper in this one but I promise she will be in the next chapter. I love all of you for the all the positive feedback and I am very thankful that there has actually been no negative reviews! and just so you guys know, I do have a tumblr. It's .com if you are interested. Don't forget to read and review!**

* * *

That night, Kathrine did not come home. Tony awoke to find her bed still made. Maybe it was his rivalry with Captain America or maybe it was because Kathrine was his daughter, but he did not like the situation one bit; he would have called the cops if it wouldn't have revealed that he had a daughter from the future. So he got in his car and started on his way to Steve Rogers' flat. He really couldn't believe he'd known this girl, his daughter, for only a month and he was already so protective of her. With his parenting loving nature coming so naturally out of him, it did make him wonder why she was so hostile towards him. She should have been well past the rebellious teenage years by now.

Tony arrived at the building, got out of the car, walked up the staircase and knocked on the door. He was instinctively looking through the peephole in the door trying to see what was going on, when he heard a voice down the hall.

"Oh good, you're here." Tony turned and saw Steve Rogers half jogging toward him. There was no hint of sarcasm in the Captain's voice, which considering their relationship, Tony found it quite odd that Rogers would be happy to see him.

"What's going on?" Tony asked, knowing something was up.

"She's on the roof." Steve responded as he turned around and motioning for Tony to follow him.

"What's she doing on the roof, Rogers?" Tony asked with a very accusatory tone in his voice as he began following Steve up to the roof.

"I don't know what's going on with her. She was acting weird all day yesterday and she came here because she didn't want to go home. She just sort of walked in and collapsed on the bed. I didn't see her this morning and I found her on the roof just a few minutes ago."

"So why isn't she off the roof?" Tony asked as they were climbing up the stairs.

"She was really...zoned out. I don't think she even noticed my existence. She's got me pretty worried right now." Steve said answered as he opened the door to the roof and Tony walked through ahead of him.

It had started to rain by the time the two men had gotten there. Kathrine had her back to them and was staring at the cloudy skyline. Tony walked up to her slowly and cautiously, unsure of Kathrine's mental state. "Kat, what's wrong?"

At the sound of her father's voice, Kathrine turned around and Tony saw the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. She was doing her best to hide her sobbing, but Tony still heard the ones that escaped her throat. He looked her in the eyes and saw the big brown pools staring back at his own.

"I remember." She said through tears. Tony could barely hear her voice through the sound of the pouring rain.

"Remember what?" He asked. All of them were soaked now. Tony could see droplets coming off his own hair in front of his face and he could see Kathrine's tears mixing with the rain water.

"I remember how mom died."

Tony just stared wide eyed at her, his expression waiting for her to continue.

"She died saving me."

Tony just stared at her for a moment before pulling her to him in a bone crushing hug. He put his hand on the back of her head and she nestled her face into his chest. They both forgot about Steve, the rain, the wind, and the thunder as held on to each other for dear life.

* * *

Thankfully, Tony had enough sense not to ask a crying girl how her mother died as he led her down the stairs to Steve's apartment to dry off.

Kathrine hopped in the shower while Tony and Steve tried their best to dry off with hand towels.

"What do you know about Kathrine?" Tony asked suddenly.

Steve looked up from drying his face and stared at Tony. He sighed before saying, "Not much more than you. But I can tell she's been through a lot."

Tony looked at him thoughtfully before nodding his head. "If the condition we found her in was any indication, I would have to agree."

Rogers sat down the chair opposite of Tony. Awkward silence followed the two with only the sound of running water for the shower.

"So what do you do now-a-days?"

"I work for a newspaper downtown." Steve answered quickly.

"How's that working out for you?"

"I...uh...it's okay."

"And what does Captain America do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do mean?" Tony asked taken a back.

"Why are you saying that I and Captain America are different?"

Tony was just about to respond with his usual wit when Kathrine walked into the room with one of Steve's army t-shirts and a pair of grey-heather sweatpants, all the while drying her hair that was clearly still wet.

"Sorry Steve, but I grabbed some of your clothes, mine are still soaked."

Steve stared at her. "It's fine."

Tony looked between the two suspiciously before deciding that he wasn't exactly fond of what was going on. "Alright, Kathrine, I want to get you home so you can rest and we'll talk tomorrow." Kathrine just nodded before heading out the door. Tony was following her before he turned around and looked Rogers right in the eyes. "Don't even think about it."


End file.
